Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc. Launches Carrigene Plates -- Novel Fast Transfection Plates for In Vitro Transfection of Plasmid DNA

Oceanside, CA (PRWEB) June 26, 2007 -- Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc, a provider of tools for gene delivery and oligonucleotide synthesis, announced today that it will officially launch CarriGene® Plates - a novel Fast Transfection Plate product for in vitro delivery of plasmid DNA to mammalian cells. CarriGene® Plates will be available in 6, 12, 24-well and 10 cm dish formats for routine transfection and viral vector production, as well as the highly convenient 96-well format for High Throughput Screening applications. The Plates are pre-coated with Kinovate's novel Biodegradable Cationic Polymer Transfection Reagent, which delivers exceptionally high transfection efficiency across a broad range of mammalian cell lines with extremely low toxicity.

This novel, patented technology is the world's first to offer a DNA transfection reagent pre-coated onto plates. Using this convenient format, researchers are able to drastically simplify and speed up the transfection process. Whereas conventional reagent transfection requires two overnight processes -- one for seeding of cells and the second for transfection, CarriGene® Plates utilize a reverse transfection protocol in which DNA solution is first added to the plate, followed by cell solution. Cell seeding and transfection occur simultaneously, reducing the entire process by one day. The increased speed and simplicity offer significant advantages in terms of time and labor saved for all users, in particular those performing High Throughput Screening applications

In addition, by eliminating labor intensive processes such as mixing of DNA with reagent and changing of medium, CarriGene® Plates will contribute to a reduction in human and systemic errors, resulting in more consistent and reliable results. This is particularly the case when handling multiple samples simultaneously. Furthermore, as the product is stable at room temperature for in excess of 12 months, users can hold stock of precisely the number of plates that they require to complete their research, eliminating costly waste of reagents and streamlining the inventory process.

CarriGene® Plates have been rigorously tested across a broad range of cell lines and show excellent transfection efficiency with superior cell viability in comparison with conventional reagent products on the market. In direct comparison with two market leading reagents in a broad spectrum screening study utilizing over 50 cell lines, CarriGene® Plates exhibited superior performance in over 70% of cells tested. These included both common cell lines, such as HEK293, CHO-K1, COS-7, HeLa, HT-1080, NIH/3T3, etc., and some difficult to transfect cell lines such as HUV-EC, DU-145, MCF-7, SKOV-3, and other cancer cell lines.

"Kinovate Life Sciences has for some time been involved in out-licensing of its proprietary transfection technologies. However, with this truly unique, revolutionary concept, the launch of CarriGene® Plates under our own brand, directly to the market for the first time represents not only a breakthrough in the transfection industry, but a significant step in Kinovate's growth and development." stated Dr. Kenji Matsumoto, President of Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc. "The superior technology and clear advantages in terms of convenience and cost savings of CarriGene® Plates give us great confidence that this product has the potential to replace conventional reagent transfection as the standard methodology in the worldwide transfection market."

In an extensive beta-testing campaign in which samples were distributed to in excess of 400 targeted researchers, Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc. received overwhelmingly positive responses from users. 93% of respondents surveyed claimed that CarriGene® Plates saved them time, and 88% said that it was easy to use. In addition, more than two thirds of respondents found that CarriGene® Plates were superior to their previous transfection method in terms of both transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity. When asked about their experiences using the product, one researcher at a major U.S. university lab stated "It is very easy to use and has high transfection rate". Another at a renowned cancer research center noted that it "worked very well for most cell lines tried, including a couple of very difficult cell lines".

Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc. plans an aggressive roll out of new products in the coming 12-24 months. These include Cell Line Specific CarriGene® Plates Fast Transfection Plates, a Biodegradable Polymer Transfection Reagents for DNA transfection; as well as both Plates and Reagent for in vitro delivery of siRNA. In vivo gene delivery tools are also under development. In doing so, Kinovate plans to offer a complete suite of products to meet all gene delivery requirements.

About non-viral transfection and gene delivery

Non-Viral Transfection is a process in which genetic material is delivered into cell culture via chemical or physical processes. In the case of chemical mediated delivery, gene solution is typically mixed with a cationic polymer or lipid reagent to form a complex in solution. This complex is then introduced to cell culture in vitro. The DNA-Reagent complex crosses the cell membrane via endocytosis, allowing the genetic cargo to be delivered into the cell, and ultimately the nucleus, in order to induce expression of the target gene.

About Kinovate Life Sciences

Kinovate Life Sciences is a privately held company providing various materials and tools to the life sciences industry. Kinovate is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nitto Denko Corporation (Osaka, Japan), one of the world's leading manufacturers of polymer materials and applied products. Kinovate's mission of commercialization and marketing of life science-related technologies developed by Nitto Denko Corporation and its Oceanside, CA based R&D subsidiary company Nitto Denko Technical Corporation, place it at the cutting edge of gene-delivery technology. Kinovate supplies transfection materials under license to various life science product providers. Kinovate also supplies NittoPhase® Solid Support for Oligonucleotide Synthesis directly to the market. NittoPhase® was developed in collaboration with Isis Pharmaceuticals and launched in May 2005. More information about Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc. is available at www.kinovate.com

About Nitto Denko Corporation

Incorporated in 1918 and having its head office in Osaka, Japan, Nitto Denko Corporation designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of products including adhesive tapes, electronic components, and medical equipments, based on its core technologies of high polymer synthesis. The company holds approximately 60% share of the global market for polarizing films. Polarizing film is a core material used in liquid crystal display television production. Nitto Denko's applied products are widely used in medical instruments, automobiles and electronics, accounting for 70% of its total sales. The company remains focused on attaining "Global Niche Top" status in many of its core products. The company has 10 divisions and consolidated group sales in fiscal year ended March 2007 amounted to US$6.2 billion. Additional information about Nitto Denko Corporation is available at www.nitto.com.

Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc. forward-looking statement

This press release contains forward looking statements concerning research & development of polymer materials related to the life sciences area developed and commercialized by Kinovate Life Sciences Inc. and its affiliates, including solid support for oligonucleotide synthesis. Any and all statements concerning Kinovate's claims, intentions, beliefs, etc should be considered forward looking statements and as such at-risk. Statements made above, including those concerning testing results should be considered observed values, not guaranteed values, and actual results may differ materially from those mentioned above. Readers of this press release are cautioned to not rely solely on the forward-looking statements contained above.

Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nitto Denko Corporation.

Contacts:

Gaby Silver

Marketing Manager, Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc.

Phone: +1-760-435-7042

Web : www.kinovate.com

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